State Conference

Well I've just gotten home from Fresno, where I've been for the past few days for the 83rd annual California State FFA Convention. I had a blast! Seeing keynote speakers Josh Shipp and Brooks Gibbs, rocking out to great music with friends in Selland Arena before every session, and a very fun Gloriana concert. On top of all this, there were the things that make state conference uniquely FFA. An agriculture career show, proficiency award and speaking competition, and of course State Officers. The opening session that the 2010-2011 California state officer team put on Saturday night was an adventure in its self: They were rappelling from the ceiling, zipping in on motorcycles, being dropped off INSIDE the arena by cool cars, and above all, celebrating the FFA organization and it's members. After the session, I caught up with retiring State Vice President Lindsey Anderson for a quick chat.

Even though she was busy running the conference, and probably tired from the outstanding opening session, she still had time to talk to a desert Ag girl. I was impressed. When asked what her favorite thing that she had done in FFA was, she answered quickly that it was competing on her Ag Sales team. This was because she and her team got to travel around to compete in Ag Sales competitions. While her team did go on to become the state winners and compete at Nationals, for Lindsey, it was more about becoming a family with her team and getting to spend time with them competing than it was about the title. Through this experience, Lindsey became very close to her Ag Sales coach and team members. On Monday, after an amazing performance at an impromptu talent show with the State Choir, I headed over to check out the career show. The career show was full of fun booths, advertising different agriculture colleges, career opportunities, and even a couple of feed booths. The booths that stood out most in my mind though, were the chapter booths. One in particular caught my attention.This booth, from the Delta FFA chapter, featured a California Ag Trivia game to win fun prizes, California Ag facts, and was staffed by a trio of Delta FFA redheads and their advisor. Here I am hanging out with the totally awesome Delta FFA redheads. Wouldn't we make a great team? :) While getting ready for the Gloriana concert with my roommates I heard a strange clanking noise. Wondering what it could be, I headed out into the hall. A couple doors down I found eNRGy, president of the High Desert FFA Section, holding a unique cowbell.I soon found out that not only was this cowbell unique, but it was one of a kind, eNRGy, had made it himself! While hanging out with Jacquelynne Garcia, 2010-2011 State Secretary at the SOLC, she mentioned that she was always getting lost. Inspired, eNRGy went back to his Ag Mechanics class and made her a cowbell, to help her with this problem.

This cowbell is made out of rectangular tubing, welding rod, and a bolt. eNRGy has made a lot of different things out of metal in his Ag Mechanics class, even barbeque's. To finish off the cowbell, eNRGy collected the signatures of the other retiring state officers, who he knows will always be there for her.

As the conference came t0 a close, I again caught up with eNRGy. He had given the cowbell to Jaque and she had been thrilled. This is just another example of how good with our hands, creative, and downright thoughtful us FFA members can be. All in all, I had a great time at State Conference, I met a ton of amazing FFA members, heard some incredible retiring addresses from the 2010-2011 State officers, watched as the new State officers were elected and sung in the best choir ever. Oh yes, it was a wonderful weekend.